In the era of u-health, the megatrends of new medical services are the use of information and communication technologies to provide health care information and services to stakeholders including medisumers. They pursue improved quality of health care, increased access to information and process, cost-saving, industry development related to u-Health, and enforcement of competitiveness. The goals of activating u-Health are to improve laws and regulations, to provide incentives, to increase government support and establish a monitoring system, and to encourage financial investment for institutes related to health service market for an effective health system. Characteristics of megatrends in the era of u-health are represented as 5 c's: content, community, commerce, connectivity, and care. It contains the development of 'contents' for u-health, share and exchange information in the 'u-community', promote 'commercial u-health care models', 'connectivity' for standardization, activating 'care for network governance' by developing services, and build a value- and IT-based and patient-centered purchasing system, which will bring a paradigm shift in medical services.
Academies and Institutes ; Access to Information ; Commerce ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Services ; Investments ; Jurisprudence ; Motivation ; Quality of Health Care ; Social Control, Formal ; Value-Based Purchasing

The health care system is changing from ‘pay for volume’ to ‘pay for value.’ These changes are turning health care delivery into a more cost-effective and coordinated care setup that drives hospitals to lower costs and greater quality gains. The present perioperative care service in Korea has proven to be costly, fragmented, and neither evidence-based nor patient-centered. Recently, a new concept of a perioperative care model termed perioperative surgical home (PSH) has been proposed. The PSH is a patient-centered, team-based, and coordinated perioperative care setup, composed of the head anesthesiologist-perioperativist in tandem with dedicated nurse practitioners and other PSH team doctors. All pre-, intra-, and postoperative patient care functions are performed by a single PSH team, not several different departments. The PSH care extends from the decision to operate till 30 days post-discharge. Several evidence-driven perioperative strategies for reducing postoperative complications and shortening hospital stay can be adapted to each specific hospital situation, rather than strictly applying any given strategies. With the PSH, patients are more satisfied and experience better outcomes. It is also a good hospital business model. The expanded role of anesthesiologists in the PSH has the potential to invigorate the specialty.
Anesthesiology* ; Commerce ; Delivery of Health Care ; Head ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Medical Errors ; Nurse Practitioners ; Patient Care ; Perioperative Care ; Postoperative Complications ; Value-Based Purchasing